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FedEx Hands, Wheels and Wings Move for Haiti

The steady downpour of rain in Miami didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of FedEx team members as they assisted the Yele Haiti Foundation in its collection of relief supplies for victims of the Haiti earthquake. The Yele Haiti group, a nonprofit agency founded by Haitian-bornentertainer/humanitarian Wyclef Jean, is devoted to aiding the poor in Haiti. The organization reached out to FedEx for help in collecting and transporting new blankets and sheets, solar flashlights, nutrition bars and candles for the victims.

“We deeply appreciate the expertise and contributions of FedEx,” said Hugh Locke, President of the Yele Haiti Foundation who was also on site. “Today’s activities serve as a pilot for our future collections of critical supplies in other cities and we are grateful to have insight and support from FedEx at today’s event.”

Despite the weather, people arrived at the AdrienneArshtCenter‘s parking lot loaded with boxes and bags of supplies. Some donors hailed from Haiti, France and other countries. FedEx team members from Miami locations and the Global Citizenship team quickly bonded with Yele Haiti representatives as they worked side-by-side to sort and package critical supplies beneath a tent. A nearby pharmacy heard about the drop-off location and brought a large box filled with insulin. Volunteers quickly grabbed a cooler filled with ice and packed the insulin inside.

FedEx team members were deeply saddened when they learned that one of Yele Haiti‘s volunteers, a native of Haiti, has not been able to locate her one year-old son, Macai. The child is still missing amidst the rubble in Port-Au-Prince. It was truly inspiring to see the remarkablestrength and courage of this young woman as she worked with our team to collect relief items for other victims in the wake of her personal tragedy. The child had been vacationing with relatives when the earthquake occurred.

The local news media in Miami also took an interest in the outreach effort. Local crews from ABC, F0X and the Miami Herald visited the collection site.

At the end of the day, the supplies were loaded onto a FedEx trailer where they will be transported to Haiti later this week. A world of thanks is extended to the FedEx Miami team, FedEx Global Citizenship teams, and all who gave their time and skills to assist in this project.